We did a lot to personalize our wedding, starting with the ceremony. We did our own vows, and my stepfather officiated the wedding. And we had it just a few blocks away from our house in the courtyard of the Fairmont Hotel. During the ceremony, we could hear the cable car bells ringing. I grew up in the city so that sound makes me feel at home.

We chose the Fairmont hotel because we're San Franciscans, and the Fairmont is a classic piece of San Francisco history. The original building actually burned during the 1906 earthquake. The view from the reception was unbelievable and it overlooked the neighborhood I grew up in. We wanted to get married in a place that felt like home, and we couldn't beat the Fairmont.